Younis looks for redemption against upbeat New Zealand

Younis Khan will be seeking redemption when he leads Pakistan against New Zealand in a limited-overs series starting next...

Younis Khan will be seeking redemption when he leads Pakistan against New Zealand in a limited-overs series starting next week on neutral grounds in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan went down to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in South Africa,a loss which almost cost him his career. New Zealand did very well in the Champions Trophy and I hope we could avenge our defeat by playing as a team against them, Younis said.

He faced some harsh criticism including from his own parliamentarians following back-to-back losses to Australia and New Zealand to finish the Champions Trophy.

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He tried to quit as captain soon after meeting with the members of lower houses standing committee on sports,which cleared Pakistan team of match-fixing allegations.

The Pakistan Cricket Board last week reinstated Younis as captain through the World Cup 2011 after rejecting his resignation. He will lead Pakistan in the one-day and Test series against the New Zealanders,while Shahid Afridi will be the captain for the two Twenty20 games in Dubai.

The three ODIs and the T20 matches will be held in the United Arab Emirates,then the teams fly to New Zealand for a Test series.

Younis said New Zealands strength was their teamwork,and his Pakistani lineup needed to take its cue from that.

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If you look at the New Zealand squad they are one of the three teams along with Sri Lanka and Australia who play well as a unit, Younis told reporters in the southern port city of Karachi.

New Zealand lost the Champions Trophy to defending champions and top-ranked Australia.

Pakistan will leave for Abu Dhabi on Friday for the start of the ODI series.